Who: Anne and Jim What: Talking about Dreams Where: Anne’s place When: Early June Rating: Low Status: Complete
Leaning against the kitchen counter, Anne sipped her wine as she checked her phone. She was waiting for Jim to arrive, dinner had already been ordered and she was mostly checking the news and Facebook. The election news coming out of the UK was fascinating, but she did find it difficult to figure out exactly what was happening and how it was affecting her friends and family. Hearing a knock on the door, she put her phone and glass down and went to open the door.
“Hi you,” she smiled, pressing a kiss to his cheek as he stepped into her home. “Are you ok?”
“I’m okay for the moment,” Jim assured her. “How are you?”
In his mind, her well being was generally more important, no matter what was going through his mind.And there’d been a lot on his mind lately.
Anne frowned as he came in and she shut the door. “For the moment? Is something wrong?” she asked in concern, leading him over to the kitchen where their take out was waiting to be unpacked. Reaching into the bags, she pulled out the containers and laid them out on the counter next to the plate, cutlery and drinks. “Can I do anything?” she asked, because to her, she worried about Jim’s wellbeing first.
“I don’t know. I’ll let you know how my own dreams go.” He gave her a reassuring smile, not wanting her to worry about something neither of them could control. “Mostly I’m getting old in them and it’s a little sobering.”
“Hmm, I can imagine,” Anne replied with quiet amusement, looking at him out of the corner of her eye before carrying on. “It must be difficult for someone as young and...virile as you,” she teased gently.
“Hey.” Jim puffed out his chest. “I’m still virile in my old age!”
Being the Captain of a Starship could still attract some attention, though his goals were a little different from when he was younger. Even if no woman could ever had replaced Edith Keeler.
Anne laughed at him as he puffed himself up. “I never said you weren’t, but there’s a lot of expectation to live up to. It doesn’t take much for a reputation to slip,” she replied playfully and bumped his shoulder. Grinning up at him cheekily she winked before continuing to unwrap food. “I’m tempted to get you to prove it,” she remarked, pretending to be focused on her hands but unable to keep the grin from appearing on her face.
“Dangerous words,” Jim replied, tone light and expression good-natured. Really, he was trying to avoid that with her. Anything beyond light flirting, because he never really could turn off the flirting entirely.
“Oh I don’t know...you seem pretty tame to me these days,” Anne trailed off teasingly. She knew she was playing with fire, that Constance had essentially warned him off from taking things any further with her, but she enjoyed flirting with Jim. It was a nice release from the seriousness of her day job.
It wasn’t even Constance, though she’d helped. It was the right thing to do. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to flirt. “Personal attacks? I’ll have you know I’ve ziplined drunk.”
Which was stupid but not tame, so there.
Anne made a puzzled face and chuckled at him as she finished dishing her own food up. “I’m not even going to ask how you managed to get into that situation,” she grinned, before taking a sip of her wine. “Seriously though, is there anything you’d like to talk about? Are the Dreams getting to you or anything?” she asked, perching on one of the bar stools to start eating.
“It was a dare. We almost died. It was great.” Jim laughed, as if ‘almost died’ was the best part of it. And it really was. Sometimes, it was good to act his age and not like a 60 year old man at the end of his career. “They’ve been better.”
Anne smiled at him sympathetically and sighed. “I wish there was something more I could do for you,” she reached out to cover one of his hands in hers as she looked him over. “You’d let me know if there was anything, right?”
“Just being you is enough,” Jim assured her. “Reminds me I’m not over the hill and staring down the barrel of retirement. I never did want to just fade away. Better to die young, doing something important, than that.”
“God Jim don’t...don’t talk like that,” Anne sat up straighter, looking perturbed and not feeling comfortable with the idea of Jim dying early at all. She let go of his hand as she moved back. “I mean, I know you’re a...free spirit but...I can’t imagine my life without you in it. You’re too good a friend,” she told him.
He smiled, shaking his head just a little. “I’ve got plenty of reason to live. But I don’t know if I want to hit 65, or 70. Not unless there’s some way to maintain that lifestyle of adventure. I don’t want to die asleep in bed. I want to die doing something worthwhile. Save a person, save a starship. Death needs to have meaning.”
Anne let her eyes roam over his handsome features cautiously. He was so much like the Musketeers she knew from her Dreams. Maybe that’s why she felt so drawn to him. Dashing, brave, funny but also selfless and willing to throw himself into danger without a thought for his own safety. Pressing her lips together worriedly, she nodded and looked back down at her food. “I think I know what you mean just...don’t be too eager to leave us yet? There’s a lot more excitement to be had in this world,” she smiled up at him.
Jim reached over and too her hand, running his thumb over her knuckles. “Not that eager to go anywhere. You’re stuck with me for awhile yet, Anne. Promise.”
Anne smiled up at him, feeling more relieved at his reply. “Good, I’m not done teasing you yet,” she grinned back at him with a cheeky wink.